Three is a Magic Number
by 2legs2short
Summary: Three best friends. Three diffrent paths. Can you really trust those you love? Do you really know everything about your friends? Maisy and Ethans's lives turned upside-down when Brody comes to town, bringing his past and its monsters along. Can love win?
1. Phenomenal Traditions

**Just Want To Be Near You**

**Chapter One: Phenomenal Traditions**

Maisy hated her name. It wasn't just the fact that it sounded awful whenever anybody pronounced it incorrectly; the S sounding more like a Z, making her Mazie instead. It wasn't even the fact it was a hand-me-down from her Grandmother whom she'd never even met, since she'd died just before she was born eighteen years earlier. It was just the simple fact that it was so girlish and inappropriate. It had suited her Grandma, who had been a genuine housewife and mother by choice, a fact that astounded Maisy's modern sensibilities even as a child. The meaning behind the name again was so appropriate for her Grandma that it was almost cliché, a variety of the name Margaret meaning Pearl. Maisy didn't blame her mother for giving her the name, _not anymore at least_; she'd reasoned once she became a teen, that just because she hadn't known her Grandma, and from what she had been told about her could see nothing that they had shared in common, didn't mean that her own mother, Laura, felt the same way. Grandma Maisy had been Laura's mother, and her death had a taken its toil on Laura's self-esteem and confidence. They hadn't just been mother and daughter; they were also best friends, something Maisy was often envious of. She didn't have that kind of bond with Laura, although she did love her tremendously; but their relationship was strained by how different they were in personality.

Maisy had always been rather energetic and had preferred making mud pies out in the garden to actually backing cookies in the kitchen, as Laura would much rather she would have. Even now in her later years of teenage adolescence, Maisy detested all things feminine, favouring old demin jeans to dresses, a ragged old rucksack to a purse, and the only jewellery she would wear where the studs in her singly pierced ears and a friendship bracelet given to her by her childhood friend Ethan when they were five years old. Her hobbies no longer included building mud pies in the garden, but she still desired the outdoors, enjoying more strenuous activities such as rock-climbing, snowboarding and cycling. Her figure hinted toward that effect if you looked close enough to notice her well toned muscles, or if you were fool enough to challenge her to an arm wrestling match like Bobby Ridgeway had done in sixth grade. She was fortunate enough to be blessed with a very clear complexion that rendered such artifices such as makeup unnecessary. Her skin although fair had a light dusting of peppered freckles over the bridge of her nose making her features more than just beautiful but interesting in addition. She was a dainty looking little thing though, so despite her other boyish qualities she could never be mistaken for male, this worked to her advantage when it came to a fight as her opponents often underestimated her strength and agility.

One of Maisy's most favourite pass times was a passion she shared with her two best friends. Whenever the weather turned rainy and there was an electrical storm to the east coastline of her home town of St. Augustine, Florida, she would run to the garage were she kept her mountain bike, _for just such occasions_, and race to the end of her avenue where she would be met by Ethan. Besides being her oldest and best of friends, Maisy often thought of Ethan as more of a cousin; his mother, Marilee, wasn't just a neighbour but more like an aunt on account of her being Laura's best friend since their own collage days. Both she and Ethan would then turn south on the main highway leading out of town and head past the wealthier residential areas toward Cresent Beach that was not three miles away. On the road they would be joined by the third in their party, Brody. Both Maisy and Ethan hadn't known Brody very long, a little over a year and a half, but they were a trio so close that if you didn't notice the stack differences in appearance, you'd be convinced they were family.

Ethan's tall and lanky build was deceptively strong, with a shock of coppery bronze hair to top it off, which seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and add green hues to his hazel eyes. Brody was of average height, but that was all that was average about him; he had a mass of black curls that brushed just above his collar and tickled around his ears, enhancing his emerald green eyes, that sparkled brilliantly when he was happy, excited or curious and could darken to a deep turbulent mist when angry, upset or when he was brooding. _Which is often the case_. Maisy loved both of her friends for such singularity; it made them even more special to her, although she never saw herself in such a category even with her own long wavy mahogany hair and aqua blue eyes.

Cresent Beach in an electrical storm could be an awe-inspiring sight, the sky turning dark as night despite the time of day or if the sun had been shining brilliantly just a few hours earlier. Forks of lightning shoot across the sky changing its colour from black to varying shades of blue, purple, orange and yellow. No two forks are ever the same, some stretch across the sky appearing like the branches of a tree in the dead of autumn caught alight, others shoot to the sand of the beach in one thick bright lightning bolt that tears the sky in two for that one instant, whilst other times five or six bolt seemed to reach out simultaneously.

Maisy and Ethan had been fascinated by such a phenomenon since they were very young and their parents just happened to have brought them to the beach that day. The other children around had been terrified by the view, but Maisy and Ethan had watched the display unfold in wonder and awe. They had made these trips a tradition since the age of thirteen, when they were finally considered old enough to make the three mile journey without parental supervision. If they were lucky they got to carry it out two or three times a year.

Since Brody had relocated to St. Augustine, this was the third occasion on which he had gotten to experience it with them. Brody joined Maisy and Ethan on his own bike at the end of the estate where he lived, from which point they all turned east together toward Cresent Beach a remaining two miles off, racing at top speed. When they reached Cresent Beach, all three friends abandoned their bikes in there usual spot amongst the American beach grass that covered the sand dunes there and ran to their make-shift hut made out of old wooden clothesline props and a sheet of PVC to keep the majority of the rain off. When underneath, they huddled together under an old picnic blanket to enjoy the exhibit.


	2. New Student

**Chapter Two: New Student**

As Brody sat watching the array of colours that shot across the sky for the third time since his move from New York to Florida, he couldn't help thinking about his old life back then, how much he'd changed over the past year and a half, and how much that change was a consequence of Maisy and Ethan's befriending him.

Brody lived on one of the more expensive estates on the out-skirts of St. Augustine. He and his mother, Caroline, had been forced to relocate there after an incident Caroline had encountered at work one evening, when she was supposed to be at home in their old apartment sick with flu. Brody didn't like to dwell on the specific details of what she found that night, but it had meant that they had to be uprooted from their home at a time in his life when sixteen year old Brody thought that everything was just working out for him. He had resented Caroline for the first few months, for making such a sudden move a necessity. He had been unable to say goodbye to his friends, or even leave them with the promise that he'd keep in touch, _I couldn't offer even that much because it's considered too risky. _

Brody had always been athletic and was awaiting news back from several sources about receiving a scholarship so that he could pick and choose which collage he would like to attend when high school was finally over and done with. He was popular, the striker for his high schools football squad, The Trojans and had just worked up the courage to ask out Cassie, the teams head cheerleader. He had a best friend called Jake, who he'd go out to parties with on the weekends and camping trip with at spring break. But despite how perfect Brody felt his life had been, he soon found out that of all his former friends and amusements, he missed only Jakes company.

Once they had moved to St. Augustine it had taken Brody only one short month to find his new niche at school. He had worried that he wouldn't be able to be himself anymore, as that didn't exactly fit under the request that they remain inconspicuous. To attain a scholarship in football required the player to catch the eye, be different and superior in skill to the other players; _not easy to accomplish if you're trying to keep a low profile_. Moreover he had always been of the 'popular crowd', the students who were noticed and often envied; he couldn't mix with the schools elite without the notice of the entire student body and most of the teachers too. Added to this was the new limitation Caroline had put on him for what kind of car he was allowed to drive; back home he had been saving toward acquiring an Aston Martin Vanquish but here he was only allowed a Honda Civic, to be used on rainy days only when he couldn't ride his mountain bike to school, although that last part was more out of Caroline's desire to keep him healthy than the need to remain unnoticed.

All this meant that Brody had been dreading his first day at Pedro Menendez High School, home of The Falcon football squad. For the first time in his life Brody had no idea how he was supposed to act, or whether he'd be able to find just one new friend to help him get through the remaining mandatory years of what would surly now be a teenage nightmare.

Brody smiled to himself as he watched a fork of lightning stretch across the violet sky, remembering when he first met Maisy, who at this very moment was tucked in tightly between him and Ethan, pointing and gasping at the beauty of the prospect befalling them.

He had gotten lost, _again_, on his way to third period which was English Literature. Holding the map of the school in front of his nose and twisting it every-which-way hoping it would make more sense, he had collided straight into the back of a tiny girl who had just finished pulling her books from her locker. As he helped her gather said books after knocking them from her grip and apologizing nervously, he looked up into a pair of astonishing blue eyes and his apology was abruptly cut short, _which was probably for the best, blubbering idiot_. After a tense moment that seemed like and eternity to Brody, he recovered himself, clearing his throat, and stood holding out her retrieved books so that he could introduce himself.

"I'm Brody by the way, and I'm new here. You wouldn't happen to be able to point me in the right direction of the English department would you?" he said with his friendliest smile.

"Oh hey," the girl replied with a toss of her long mahogany hair over her small shoulders. "I'm Maisy. That's May-see not Mai-zee got it?" she added with a slight scowl.

"May-see, right got it." Brody acknowledged with a laugh, "Nice to meet you, Maisy."

Maisy rewarded him with a smile as she took the class schedule and upside-down map from him for its examination.

"Great!" she exclaimed, "You're next periods the same as mine anyhow, so just follow me."

"You're in my year!" Brody blurted out in shock before he could stop himself, _but you're just so tiny and beautiful, surly you must be younger than me_.

The scowl returned in force as she rolled those amazing eyes at him and began walking across campus.

"Like I haven't heard that one before!" she retorted sarcastically before Brody could worry too much that he had offended his new friend. And that's what she was now; he could see it after being with her for only a minuet. _Maybe school won't have to be such a nightmare after all._

Brody had sat by Maisy in English and she had invited him to come have lunch with her and a friend over on the picnic benches by the cafeteria after forth period, which for Brody was gym. After accepting the invitation and giving Maisy a appreciative grin for pointing him in the right direction of the gym, Brody found himself looking forward to lunch, when only that morning he had been anxious about sitting alone. But his good mood faded just as swiftly as it had formed since his sudden hopeful thoughts conflicted with the one restriction Brody had put upon himself in this new half life of his; no dating! He had come up with a few legitimate reasons – _to my mind anyhow – _why dating should be put on hold for the foreseeable future.

Firstly – _and probably most pathetically –_ he thought he would have broke his young untouched heart when he was told he could never see Cassie again, after weeks of building up the determination to ask her out, and a month before that of infatuation from a distance, when she was dating his squads quarterback. He couldn't have a hope of finding another girl in the whole world – _man what an exaggeration _- that could compare to her.

Secondly – _and just as equally pathetic _– despite Brody's confidence and assurance of his own self-esteem at his old school, he felt at Pedro there was no reason any girl he'd be interested in would even notice him now, _and why should they, I'm not special anymore, just another average student._

These were reasons he'd given Caroline when she tried to assure him he'd find another nice girl to go out with. But Brody's actual incentive behind his decision was more sentimental and he would never admit it aloud for fear of sounding too corny. Brody was looking for a real relationship, not just some fling for a couple weeks, or for some fun on the weekends like Jakes interchangeable girlfriends. This new secretive lifestyle wouldn't be conducive to a solid relationship when he couldn't even give an honest answer to a simple question like, "So where you from?" or "Why'd you move here?" T_wo questions that surly are at the top of anybody's 'getting to know you' list_.

Brody didn't want a relationship built on a foundation of lies; he'd learnt how well that worked out from Caroline's experiences.


	3. Perturbed

**Chapter Three: Perturbed**

Ethan had lost count of the times he and Maisy had sat and watched an electrical storm unfold on Cresent Beach, but it never got repetitive or dull. When he'd first met Brody, he'd resented Maisy's immediate acceptance of him; it had always just been the two of them, _always, _and Ethan was reluctant to change anything. But sitting under their makeshift PVC hut, that was put up for more sentimental than practical reasons – _we still got soaked _– Ethan was glad that Brody had moved to St. Augustine and trespassed into their lives. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Tearing his eyes away from the bolt of lightning that turned the sky to a fabulous cerulean blue, he looked over Maisy's shoulder at his most recent but equally best friend, who wore a wide grin of fascination on his face.

"Bored of this yet, Bro?" Ethan asked, with a knowing raise of one eye brow as he eyed Brody's arm snaked around Maisy's tiny waist. He loved his given nickname for Brody, as it worked two ways; not only as an abbreviation of his name but as an affectionate catch-phrase as well.

Brody's eyes gleamed with defiance at the same time his grin turned benevolent.

"Oh yeah… you know seen one electrical storm you seen 'em all, right?" he replied sarcastically.

Maisy shot him an intense glare before returning her attention to the sky. Both Ethan and Brody chuckled at her predictable reaction; they'd had this conversation before, only Brody understood Ethan's underlying meaning behind the question this time. Ethan rolled his eyes, tightened his own grip on Maisy's shoulders and rested his cheek on her head like an affectionate brother for a brief moment.

Ethan had always felt it was his obligation to watch out for Maisy; not that she needed him too – _I doubt anyone could take care of themselves and anyone else better _– and if she found out about it she would probably beat him bloody. This didn't stop Ethan from doing it on the sly; he just wanted her to be happy. One thing he knew would improve the likelihood of that was if Brody got his act together and finally asked Maisy out.

"Hey! Maisy still in class?" Ethan asked one severely hot day as he approached their picnic bench – _nobody else ever sat there since Maisy would only shoo them away _– and threw down his lunch, _chicken and mushroom pasta bake mmmm, thank you mom._

"Think she has the sense to stay inside where it's air conditioned for as long as possible, than endure this heat for longer than necessary." Brody complained.

"Agh we've had worse than this, trust me, just wait until summer!" Ethan warned.

"I don't know how you put up with this!" Brody groaned, gesturing with his hand to the air surrounding them, "It so moist… and buggy!" he added swatting at a mosquito, "I'd much rather drink my water than inhale it, thank you very much!" he ended emphatically, taking a swig from his own bottle of mineral water to prove his point.

Ethan laughed, Brody's little tirades could be almost as amusing as watching Maisy beat on some innocent bystander who happened to get into her way.

"You'll get used to it city boy, give it another year." Ethan tried to console him, all he received in reply was a glare and a grunt as Brody started unwrapping his own lunch.

Ethan thought he'd take this opportunity to talk to him about something they couldn't really discuss in front of Maisy, as she was the main topic for discussion_._

"So…" Ethan started hesitantly, not quite sure how so broach the subject. Brody's hands paused inside his lunch bag as he glanced at Ethan curiously, alerted by his tone. He raised his eyebrows when Ethan opened his mouth but didn't continue._ Just spit it out already_.

"What's happening with you and Maisy?" he blurted. It was no big secret how Brody felt about Maisy; it was extremely obvious to all who knew them – _minus the object of his affections of course – _that he would do anything for her.

"What do you mean?" Brody asked looking away and resuming unpacking.

"Oh come on! This is me your talking to Bro, not some noisy neighbour just digging for a bit of gossip. It obvious how you feel, it's written all over your face."

"Man!" Brody cussed, "Maisy hasn't notice has she?" he sounded truly worried.

Ethan frowned thoughtfully at the question, _why wouldn't he want Maisy to notice? That's odd. _

"I doubt it, you know how she is." Maisy was oblivious to all things attaining to herself, whilst being very sensitive to the needs of those she loved.

Brody sighed in relief and took a bite of his sandwich.

"She wont wait forever you know." Ethan interjected, trying to get a different response. Brody just stiffened and pouted.

"If you don't tell her how you feel, she'll eventually just find some other guy, who doesn't deserve her, that will tell her all the things she only ever wanted to hear from _you_!" Ethan told him emphatically.

Brody shifted his weight uneasily. "I have my reasons Ethan, OK?" He replied frowning down at his sandwich.

Ethan waited expectantly for his brilliant explanation until the silence grew and Brody bit into his lunch.

"And you're not going to elaborate on that are you!" Ethan accused, not a question.

"_Please _Ethan" Brody implored, "Will you just let it drop?"

"Fine." Ethan conceded, taking a swig of his Pepsi. Brody sighed; _longingly _it seemed to Ethan, making him contemplate once again what could possibly be holding Brody back from taking what they both so obviously wanted. Before his overactive imagination could carry him away, _as it so often did, _on theories of intrigue, secret identities and coercions, Brody smiled at him.

"So when did you turn all deep and philosophical anyway?" He asked.

Ethan grimaced, he knew he could be a sentimental moron at times but he didn't like it being pointed out by his friends – _OK Brody in particular._

"Don't know what you're on about." Ethan said dismissively.

Brody smiled wickedly as he turned the tables; Ethan hated people up in his business, he got enough of that at home, _a fact of which Brody is well aware, when will I lean to just keep my big mouth shut?_

"You decided which major you're gonna go for yet?" Brody enquired.

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly, as though it didn't really matter. Inside his head though, he was assaulted by those nagging uncertainties that shaped his future. He couldn't make a decision; his mind was in continuous flux. Two career options confronted him; pursue a degree in English Literature, put his active imagination to good use and become a novelist. Or pursue his other passion for forensic science and become a Crime Scene Investigator. _My favourite programme is CSI. _

"We both know you're never gonna give up your writing." Brody continued, oblivious to Ethan's reverie, "All you have to decide is whether you want a life of luxury or adventure. Do you want to work your own schedule from your own living room, lie in every morning and work in your pyjamas? Or rather just boxers in you case, since I've slept at your house and can safely say you don't own PJs."

Ethan couldn't help laughing at that, as a flash of memories from previous sleepovers came to mind. Brody had refused to top 'n' tail with him if he insisted on being half naked, so Ethan had been a gracious host and given Brody the bed. However, in the middle of the night Ethan had woken several times as a result of the hardwood floor being so uncomfortable. Brody had been deeply asleep at the time so Ethan decided to climb in next to him and had soon after drifted to sleep. In the morning Ethan was startled awake by Brody's screams and was then propelled out of his own bed. A manly pillow fight ensued where Brody threatened never to stay over again. Ethan eventually got him to see the funny side, although he did have to promise never to do anything like that again. _Now every time Brody stays over, he brings his own sleeping bag and takes the floor, I think it all worked out for the best._

Brody always found a way to make light of even the serious issues weighing on Ethan's mind, that's why they had develop into such good friends.

"Or" Brody continued, elongating the short word more than necessary, "is it to be the exciting and dangerous life of CSI investigator Gill Grisoms alter-ego Ethan Hawk head of NYPD's forensics department?" Brody threw up his hands and gave a poor attempt at a crowd of screaming fans. "Yaaay!"

"Why NYPD?" Ethan queried. "You ever seen CSI: Miami city slicker?" he added with a friendly punch to Brody's shoulder.

"Hey even better man!" Brody agreed, "Then you'd still be near enough that you'd have no excuse not to visit."

Ethan laughed, "NYPD's starting to look more appealing after all. We both know where Maisy's gonna be when we graduate."

It was at this very moment that the girl in question decided to favour them with her presents, so conversation veered to more trivial banter between three close friends as they ate lunch. 


	4. Perplexed

**Chapter Four: Perplexed**

Maisy was hyper aware of the arm wrapped around her waist. _He must like me. No, stop thinking like that, _she chided herself. _He's just a friend. Ethan's arms around me too, stop reading too much into things._

She sighed yearningly just as an exceptionally exquisite lightning bolt shot across the sky in her favourite formation. Like an oak tree set alight, its branches reaching out and dispersing, making it appear to be growing as if from an acorn to full growth in milliseconds and turning the sky a radiant magenta.

Brody misinterpreted her sigh as a sign of awe and turned his head to smile down at her. She loved Brody's smile. It lit up his entire face, especially his emerald eyes, and caused her pulse to skip a beat. Sometimes she wondered whether it was a good thing he didn't smile very often – _surly it can't be healthy, like having a heart murmur or something_– but see didn't feel any worse off for it. In fact, she felt quite the opposite. Brody's genuine smiles were so rare that when he decided to grace you with one, Maisy felt the recipient should feel what an honour and a privilege it truly was. _But that's probably just me being soppy. _

Maisy smiled back at him willingly and their gazes held for just a fraction of a second longer than was truly necessary before Brody turned his attention back to the sky. _What does that mean?_ She pulled her knees up to her chest more securely, locking her fingers around her wrists.

"Are you cold?" Ethan asked as he tried to give her more of his share of the picnic blanket covering all three of them. He was like that with her; always looking out for her, even though she defiantly didn't need it. But instead of hating this like she knew she should have, she found it endearing how he babied her like a little sister, even though she was two months older. Sometimes she thought maybe it was just to do with her small size – _I don't exactly look my age – _but other times she thought maybe that was just the who Ethan was as a person. She noticed how sometimes he tried to be subtle about it, hoping she wouldn't notice what he was really up to, but she knew. If he found out about her noticing these little gestures though, she also knew she would have to cheerfully beat him to death. She couldn't have him thinking she appreciated his concern for her; it would only encourage him to do it more often and less subtly. _I have a reputation to uphold, best to leave it be and pretend not to notice. _So consequently Maisy never voiced her reasoning or made complaints about not needing his protection just because she was a girl and so petite.

"I'm fine Ethan," she replied spreading the blanket evenly again, "really. Just getting more comfortable" It was true in a sense; Maisy was quite cosy sat wedged between her two best friends on the soft sand. It was inside where her stomach fluttered with butterflies just because one of them friends happened to smile at her.

The storm was starting to subside so soon they would start combing the beach for the points where the lightning touched down. In never ceased to amaze Maisy what happens when lightning hits sand, or anything nature was capable of. It was one of the reasons she decided to go into zoology when she left high school. She wanted to help the more exotic and endangered animals of the world, like her favourite's; the big cats. When she was very young and every other little girl had asked their daddy's for a pony, Maisy had begged Laura and her own father Tony for a cougar she wanted to call Simba. Her father had joked around with her thinking she'd been mixed up about her favourite Disney film The Lion King; wasn't it a lion she was after not a cougar? Little Maisy had been quite adamant; she just liked the name Simba, it was the cougar she wanted as a pet not a lion. As she'd gotten older she saw the cruelty behind her request when she'd watched a program on TV called 'Big Cats as Pets' where a man thought it would be fun to keep a beautiful 2-month-old, 400 pound, Siberian tiger in a New York apartment. He had ended up in the hospital for bite wounds on his arm and leg, which he apparently claimed were from a pit bull attack. The tiger had to go to a sanctuary in Ohio. Maisy remembered being relieved that they didn't just put the beautiful animal down like they would a dog in the same situation. She'd realized then that if pet tigers and other big cats ended up neglected, abused, or given up to sanctuaries when their owners couldn't care for them, she wanted to look after those poor animals. She was going to work for and animal sanctuary until she was able to open her own especially for big cats.


End file.
